Princess Alice, mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, buried on the Mount of Olives

I was interested to read that Princess Alice, the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is buried on the Mount of Olives. The Frommers guide has a fascinating paragraph about Princess Alice, as part of their tour of East Jerusalem.

The guide states that “in 1943, during the Nazi occupation of Greece, Princess Alice learned that the widow and children of close friend Haim Cohen were desperately trying to escape deportation to the death camps in Poland. At the risk of her life and with the help of two servants, Princess Alice hid her Jewish friends on the grounds of the royal palace in Athens for 13 months until Greece was liberated. Princess Alice died at Buckingham Palace in 1969, and in 1988, in accordance with her dying wish, was reinterred on the Mount of Olives.

In 1994, Prince Philip and his sister, Princess Sophie, traveled to Jerusalem to receive Yad VaShem’s Medal of Honor of Righteous Among the Nations, awarded to their late mother. A tree in memory of Princess Alice has been planted at Yad VaShem. More about her is contained on the Yad Vashem site here which includes Prince Philip’s poignant talk at the ceremony honouring her.